Accessibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accessibility - Essay Example Since websites are most rife at the technology interface available to general public, web development technology specific accessibility options are given special importance in the context of this rule. (Lazar and Olalere 2011) The Section 508 is having significant impact. Websites of both government and non government organizations, particularly those working in the sphere of human services, may call for processes such as live chat, online support service, video conference, etc. In absence of proper scope to use wider accessibility options, such websites may become useless to users who have disabilities. Section 508 articulates that how IT systems and applications can be made more user-friendly. Consequently, it sets a legal and technical roadmap before the website developers, which defines how they can ensure numerous and better accessibility options in the websites they design.... For example, a website may have a wide appearance when viewed with the help of a computer; but it will appear in a sleek, oblong from when viewed with the help of a mobile phone. (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 2013; Seffah and Javahery 2004) Section 508 and Its Impact In USA, Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act (1973) was legislated in 1998 by the means of an amendment. The main motive behind this law is to get rid of barriers in information technology (IT) systems, which people with disabilities confront in general. It also aims at developing techniques that would make it plausible and easier for people with disabilities to have equal opportunity to access information. Since websites are most rife at the technology interface available to general public, web development technology specific accessibility options are given special importance in the context of this rule. (Lazar and Olalere 2011) The Section 508 is having significant impact. Websites of both government and non govern ment organizations, particularly those working in the sphere of human services, may call for processes such as live chat, online support service, video conference, etc. In absence of proper scope to use wider accessibility options, such websites may become useless to users who have disabilities. Section 508 articulates that how IT systems and applications can be made more user-friendly. Consequently, it sets a legal and technical roadmap before the website developers, which defines how they can ensure numerous and better accessibility options in the websites they design. Available Tools for Compliance Testing The World Wide Web Consortium or W3C provides an efficient Section 508 compliance checking